A Thousand Flowers [Ritsu Kasanoda]

01. Starting Over

"Oh no, I can't be late on my first day," the young woman mumbled to herself, careful with the hem of her yellow dress as she hurried quickly down the corridors. She didn't want to add falling on her face to the list of reaons why today sucked.

"This is hopeless." She looked around the hallway, noticing that nearly every classroom looked alike. She glanced between her schedule and the numbers by the doors, but that didn't help at all.

"Do you need some help?" She heard a soft voice from behind her and she turned around, locking eyes with a boy. He was pretty cute, although not her type; he had a soft looking face and messy brown hair that slightly fell into his eyes.

"I need something," she said, handing over her schedule. "I'm hopelessly lost. I took a lot longer in registration than I thought I was going to, and I didn't have a chance to look for my classes."

"Oh, I see. Well you're in luck; we're in the same class," he said and her eyes lit up.

"Really? Maybe my luck is turning around, then." She laughed before she held out her hand. "Where are my manners? I'm Momoka."

"I'm Haruhi. It's nice to meet you, Momoka." They shook hands before Haruhi motioned for her to follow him.

"And here we are," Haruhi said, returning her schedule to her and holding open the door.

Momoka let out a sigh of relief, heading to the teacher's desk. The lesson hadn't officially started yet, so at least she wasn't interrupting the lesson. She glanced around the room, noticing more than a few interested stares, before she hid behind her dark curtain of hair, instead focusing on her teacher.

"Welcome to Ouran Academy, Miss Inoue. You can either sit by Haruhi or near the window," her teacher offered her the only available seats and she thought for a moment. She did like sitting by the window, as it gave perfect opportunities for daydreaming, but it tended to get hot. Not to mention, she might have a friend in Haruhi.

"I'll sit by Haruhi. He was nice enough to show me the way to class when I was lost, it's the least I could do," Momoka explained and the teacher nodded.

"Very well. Take your seat, our lesson will begin shortly."

Momoka sat at her new desk, arranging her things on the table, unaware of the two sets of eyes staring at her.

"Haruhi," one of the twins whispered. "Ask the new girl what her name is."

"I already know her name, it's Momoka," Haruhi replied, not bothering to look up from his papers.

"Momoka? That's a pretty name," the other twin whispered, his brother nodding in the background.

"Why don't you guys talk to her? I'm sure she'd like to make some friends," Haruhi said, pausing when he thought about just what he was saying, but it was too late, they were already approaching her.

"So we hear you and Haruhi already know each other," the first twin said as he stood to her left.

"Yeah, Momo-chan, you two are already friends. That makes us feel left out," the other twin said, standing to her right.

"Oh, well.." Momoka looked up between the two of them, taking in their mischievous eyes and orange hair. "We can all be friends."

"Guys, stop freaking her out," Haruhi said sharply before giving her a small smile. "I'm sorry about those two. They get carried away sometimes, but they don't mean anything by it."

"Hmph." The first twin said, crossing his arms, and his brother copied him. "That's not very nice, Haruhi."

"Well it's the truth, Hikaru," Haruhi retorted, although before it could go any further the teacher announced the start of his lesson.

"We'll talk to you later, Momoka," Hikaru said, his brother nodding in the background, and she watched them sit down.

She couldn't help but let out a little giggle, much to the trio's surprise. Although they did come on a little strong, Momoka couldn't help but find them charming..in their own way, of course.

--

After class, Momoka gathered up her things to leave when she heard voices behind her.

"Momoka, wait!"

She turned around, her books in her hands, facing the twins and an annoyed Haruhi.

"You should have lunch with us," one of the twins offered.

"Yeah, it'll be super fun," the other twin chimed in. She needed to figure out a way to tell them apart.

"Hm. I'll think about it." Momoka gave them a smile before she left, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder.

"She's something, ain't she?" Kaoru asked Haruhi, although when they turned back, they realized Haruhi wasn't there. "Haruhi?"

"Come on, Momoka, I'll show you around," they heard Haruhi's voice, and when they looked in the hallway their jaws dropped.

"Heh, okay," Momoka was saying, hooking her arm through Haruhi's and walking closely by him.

"Oh, I don't believe it," Kaoru mumbled and Hikaru sighed.

"Yeah..well, this does increase the likelihood of us seeing her around school and at the Host Club," Hikaru said after a moment and Kaoru laughed, following his twin to their next class.

"Hikaru, you are a genius."

"I know, it gets to me sometimes."

--

While the pair walked, Haruhi told her all about the host club and how he'd gotten to Ouran on a scholarship. In turn, Momoka revealed that her dad is a businessman, and a new location for his business was why they were here, and that her mother is an interior decorator.

"Well, I think I've gotten the hang of everything. Thanks for being such a good friend, Haru-kun." Momoka gave him a kiss on the cheek and he blushed.

"Aw, well.." Haruhi brightened when he saw a familiar face. "Speaking of friends. Kasanoda! Come here, I'd like you to meet someone!"

"Oh, okay." Momoka looked around for someone that looked like they might know Haruhi, when she noticed a tall redhead staring at them. "Um, is that your friend?"

"Yeah." Haruhi nodded, his eyebrows furrowing together when he noticed the frozen look on his friend's face. "Kasanoda!"

The redhead was frozen in place for a moment. He'd been walking to his next class, just minding his own business, when he heard Fujioka calling for him. He'd turned around, intending on waiting for Haruhi so they could walk together, when he saw someone at Haruhi's side.

Attached to Haruhi's arm was one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen. Her hair was long and dark, almost black, and even from a distance he could tell her eyes were a vibrant green. Her skin was fair and looked soft to the touch, as did her plump lips.

Haruhi was still calling for him, but he wasn't paying attention. This angel had completely captivated him. When he realized they were starting to walk towards him, he found himself in a silent panic and he did the only thing that came to mind. He ran off.

"What's his problem?" Momoka asked, blinking twice as they watched the redhead dash off down the corridor.

"No idea. Maybe he wants to get to his class early?" Haruhi guessed and Momoka shrugged.

"Oh well, I'll just meet him another time then. This school is so weird, I kind of like it though."